11/5/12—Choosing Something Different

Today's Draw Classic*: Four of Wands from the Tarot of Prague. Do you have a normal "routine" you follow every day? Do you feel stuck in a rut? What's one thing you can do differently today?

NOTE: It's not really Baba Prague week. This is a classic post from a week when it WAS Baba Prague week. And the Top Secret Project mentioned below is my Deck of 1000 Spreads, coming out in Spring 2013 and now available for pre-order on Amazon. :)

This week we're going to have a little fun and feature a different deck each day from Baba Studio. Baba decks are created in Prague, Czech Republic. Their quality and design is highly prized among collectors and their decks sell out quickly. 

As tarot is wont to do, the first card I choose after I make the decision to have a "theme" week for the first time ever is the Four of Wands. Among other things, it talks about breaking out of your routine. It also speaks of celebration. And both of those things are exactly what I've done today—celebrating my favorite deck creators by breaking my deck selection routine (which, by the way is usually a random choice made according to my daily whims.)

We all get caught in ruts. Many times we're not even aware of it. We just feel like we're on automatic or slogging through something and don't realize it's because we repeat the same task day in and day out. In fact, most of our days are routine to one degree or another. We wake, drink coffee, shower, drive to work, work, drive home, make dinner, do family stuff, sleep, get up and do it all again. And this kind of repetition lulls us into hypnotic state of sorts. We're not living consciously. We're just completing the routine.

So today's card comes to tell us it's time to shake things up a little. It doesn't have to be anything major. Just something spontaneous and different. Get your coffee made a different way in the morning. Walk your dog along a new route. Stop by that place you've always wondered about on the way home. Or dance to the music at the grocery store. Just change the energy of your day a little and see if it makes a difference. Better yet, do one thing different every day this week and see if it doesn't change your energy. You never know what will happen if you veer off course. 

So today, I'm changing my usual routine with my daily reading. It's not a terribly big thing, but it woke me up enough to give me a new perspective on this particular routine. I already have a few themes for future weeks swimming in my head. But I'm also going to finalize my proposal for my Top Secret Project today and open the door (hopefully) to a whole new thing in my life. And that is BIG. I almost feel like the last few months of my life have been about shaking things up in my routine. And it feels good. The more I exercise my options, the more I see how many options are available to me and the more of an adventure life becomes. 

Which is why I think it's important to do something different and unexpected now and again. I think routine makes us forget we have options. Somewhere along the line we chose a certain direction and haven't veered from it because it was easy and efficient. Well, today is Veer Day. Whether you do something big or small, approach it consciously. Be present and see if it makes you feel anxious or comfortable or neutral or whatever. 

And, just for funsies, maybe take the opportunity to look at multiple things in your daily routine and ask yourself how you might do them differently. See what your many choices are. Question why you made the choices you made. And know for sure that when you repeat something day after day, you're doing it because it's the option you still consider most viable, and not just because it's the same thing you did yesterday. These are all baby steps. But they lead us toward living more consciously, being in the now and experiencing more of the adventure of our life.

Taken from an entry on 6/13/11. 

6/22/12—Committing to Your Dream

Today's Draw: The Four of Wands from Patrick Valenza's Deviant Moon. Are you prepared to meet your destiny? Have you done all the necessary prep work? And are you truly ready to commit?

You never know what darkness—or just plain weirdness—you'll find lurking in the moonshade of this particular deck. But this card just brings a smile to the heart. A happy couple pauses for a meaningful glance on the path to the new home they'll be making together. Their look indicates a commitment. Their grasp indicates partnership, togetherness and support. And their little tomatillo pod home symbolizes both security and a good foundation for moving forward.

So far this week, we've talked about assessing situations, being open to unexpected solutions, clearing space and preparing that space for new things to come in. In short, the week seems to paint the picture of the process of creating change in our lives. And today's card adds the next step—committing to our new direction and building a solid foundation for it. 

So I'll tell you about my week so far. For the past few weeks, actually, I have been literally clearing space in my home, my life and my psyche. Then, this past Sunday, I led a waning moon releasing ceremony with the intention of releasing my blocks—fears, false beliefs, procrastination, etc.—to success (primarily in regard to a future career as an author.) So between those activities, I've been assessing my situation and clearing space. 

In the categories of being open to unexpected solutions and preparing my space, I signed up for a writer's workshop being offered by a major publisher. This is a workshop I had seen many times before and ignored, but this time I was open to learning more. The price was reasonable. The location couldn't get any better. And the timing is perfect because I've been working on a new book proposal all week. (The book proposal also qualifies for the "preparing my space" part.)

Now, I thought this workshop (which happens in September) was the universe answering my prayers and actually cried when it just randomly popped in front of my eyes. And it was/is. But in another twist in the "remaining open" category, I sent an email off to a friend who once casually said to me "when you get serious about publishing that book, let me know." I had no idea what that meant or if it even meant anything at all, but I kept it in my head. And instead of deciding it was "just talk", I remained open and followed up on it this week. 

To set the stage, I have two publishers in my head that I want to work with. One is sort of a sentimental/emotional favorite of mine. I've had my eye on them for a long time. They're a small publisher, but have had a couple of big successes. They're also open to unsolicited manuscripts, so that's a very good thing. The other publisher is not open to unsolicited manuscripts, so I'd have to find an agent before I approach them. They are, however, larger. They have tons of star-making power and could bring my platform to a much larger audience. Frankly, they intimidate me, because I fear my own success.

Anyway, long story short, I write my friend and she happens to be chummy with one of the authors from the large publisher—an author I just happen to adore and feel my message aligns with. This author will be in town—with the head honcho of the publishing company!—when the book writing workshop is happening and my friend thinks she can arrange a meeting with her. Can you imagine?! Meeting one of my favorite authors would be enough, but what if I could slip her my proposal? Then what if it just happens to slip over to the head honcho? Haha. 

What I'm getting at here, is that time has come for commitment. Instead of just working on my proposal, I have to finish it. And instead of waiting for a contract to write the book, I've got to get that going, too. (You only need a few finished chapters for a proposal and I have that.). Getting my crap together before September—no matter what happens with my friend's friend—is the firm foundation I need to rise up and meet this occasion. The funny thing is, after I do all of this, I may not even need the writing workshop (since it's mostly about the proposal process). But it is still, nonetheless, critical to my plan for other reasons.

So really just within days of clearing my space and beginning to prepare it, the need for a commitment has swooped in. See, you don't need commitment when you're just setting the stage. But once this meeting is set, there will be no backing out. There will be no more procrastination in the face of fear. The opportunity I've been preparing for in one way or another for years, will be here and I will have to rise up to greet it. That moment will come for you, too.

So this Four of Wands is about that commitment, but also about the solid foundation needed to move forward. Some of the things I've already been doing to clean up my life is part of that. Certainly my spiritual journey is part of that. This blog and what it's given me in terms of voice, discipline and the exercising of my spiritual noggin is part of it. There are still some things I have to build the foundation for. I mean, if I'm going to be more "public", I need to be ready for that. So while I still have many miles to go, I feel I'm on my way. 

Is there something in here you can apply to your own situation? Are you ready to fully commit? 

PS: As I was finishing this blog post, I got an email from a *different* friend informing me my TOP SECRET Tarot Project is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com! Though the book I talk about above is a spiritual book intended for a broad audience, this project is a tarot book and deck (intended entirely for tarot readers). Anyway, the amazing serendipity of the timing couldn't get better! If I am one day a popular author...or if I ever write a best seller...know that you were here for the magic week when all my years of work (and procrastination) started to come together!